Mash-tub



l 6 Sheets-.Sheet 1'.A G. A. OHL.

(Nd Moai MASH TUB.

Patented Deo. 4,-1883v n |`v Nvoa, Geary? .i 02d BY 41 f y LATTYS.

(No Madel.) 8 6' sheets-.sheet 2.

Gr. A. OHL.

MASHl TUB.

No. 393,851. .Patented Dec. 21, 1888.

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BY il I ATT'YS` (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. A. OHL.'

. MASH TUB.

No. 393,851.. Patented-Deo. 4, 1888.

(No Model.) sheets-sheet 4.

G. A. OHL. MASH TUB.

NQ. 393,851. Panlfedv Dec. 4, 1888.

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, '7W I BY AT'TYS.

I 6 Sheets-Sheet 5. G. A. OHL. K

i MASH TUB.

(No Mdem No. 393,851. Patentevfec. 4.1888.

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BY f/ f .ATT'YS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. OHL, OF NEFVARK, NET JERSEY.

MASH-TUB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,851, dated December 4, 1888.

Application tiled September 29, 1886. Serial No. 214,817. (No model.)

drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines employed in mashing the malted grain in the manufacture of beer, die., in which operation the saccharine principle is extracted previous to the addition of the hops and the fermentation of the hopped worts.

The machine is primarily designed to enable the workman to have more perfect control of the mash in the tun, so that the entire mass may be thoroughly stirred from the top to the bottom thereof, and when the worts have been expressed to readily and with an expenditure of but comparatively little power throw out the grains or malt-dust from the tun.

In addition to these objects the invention is intended, by means of improved mechanical constructions and operations, to so act upon the mash as to extract a much larger percentage ofsugar from the malted grain than has been done by means of those machines heretofore employed.

In the accompanying drawings, embodied in six sheets, is illustrated the improved mashing-machine, in which are shown certain old features together with what is novel.

Of the views in said drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the mashing-tun and mashing mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken from front to rear of Fig. 1. Fig. Sis a sectional view taken through line or, Fig. 1, all of the parts beneath said line being `in plan. Fig. 4 is a plan of the agitators or stirring-paddles, the shaft being in section. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through said shaft on the line Fig. 2. Fig. f is a cross-section of the paddle-actuating or vertical shaft, taken above the bifurcated lever; and Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the upper portion of the sliding paddle tube or collar through x2, Fig. (S. On Sheet 4, Figs. 8 and 9 are enlarged front and side elevations, re-

spectively, of the reciprocating rack and pinion, a portion of the mechanism for raising and lowering the paddles. Fig. 10 is a section taken through a3, Fig. 8. Fig. 11, Sheet 5, is a front elevation of the mechanism for raising and lowering the paddles and oper ating the paddle-actuating shaft. Fig. 12 is a view, partly in plan and in section, taken through line 004 in Fig. 1l, and Fig. 13 is a section of the main Ashaft at -the point upon which the sliding clutch moves, taken through 00"', Fig. 12. Fig. 14, Sheet G, is a plan of one form of paddles, illustrating the construction by means of which they may be adjusted. Fig. 15 is a section of one of said paddles through af, Figs. 14 and 17.

ively, of forms of paddles shown in Fig. 14. Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 14, two of the paddles being broken off, illustrating a inodified method of securing the paddles. Figs. 19, 20, and 2l illustrate different ways of setting or forming the paddle blades or wings, and Fig. 22 is a side elevation of the mechanism for retaining the paddles in any given position.

In all of said views similar letters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in each of the views.

In mashing-machines as heretofore constructed the mash is not as effectively stirred, owing to the defective mechanical construe tion thereof, as it should be to extract the largest proportion of sugar which should be expressed from a given quantity of malt. Moreover, owing to the fact that the agitators are constantly in the mash, it manifestly requires a great amount of power to start the revolution of the agitator in the mash.

In my improved machine the paddles are so arranged and operated that they may re- Figs. 16 and 17, are a side elevation and top view, respect.

volve at the bottom of the mash, or at or above one, o, being perforated to permit the outow IOO of the worts into the space between the same, f

the lower one, o', having' a cock or valve, o,

t-he next step in the process. extending through both bottoms and closed on the outside by a pivoted or hinged gate, s"

di, is provided, through which the malt-dust is swept out ot' the tun by the rotating paddles at'tcr all ot the worts has been exjn'essed 1o therefrom.

Within the mash-tun is arranged a paddleaetuating shat't, l, turning in a suitable plate or bearing on the bottom of the tun, and provided on its upper end with a gear-wheel, lt,

which meshes with a second gear-wheel on the main shaft t. lurning with the paddle-actuating shaft and sliding freely up and down thereon is an elongated collar or tube.` D, to the lower end ot' which the paddles or agitaeo tors E are attached, rotating with the tube as said tube is caused to turn with the shat't l. 'lo permit said sliding movement ot the tube and cause said tube to turn with the shat't. said shaft is provided with one or more splines, 1)', which tit in grooves in the said tube, as indicated in Figs. 5 and t3.

As above stated, the rotary motion ot' the pa(idle-actuating sliatt and the parts connected therewith is communica'ted thereto 3o through the main shat't (i, which, as shown, is provided with suitable dliving-pulleys, c c.

For producing' the automatic raising and lowering of the paddles simultaneously with the rotary motion thereof, or independently ot said rotary motion ot the paddles, it need be, I have devised the mechanism shown in the several tigures ot' the drawings, but do not wish to limitl the invention thereto, as mechanical equivalents ot' which I am aware 4o may be substituted therefor to produce the desired result. As illustrated, said mechanism consists ot' a lever, f, pivot'ally attached at one end to the trame o above the tun, or to any convenient point, and at the biturcated end f, also pivotally connected with the top of the tube l), as in Figs. 2, ti, and T, and connected with said lever f by a link, f2, is a reciprocally-moving rack, y, sliding in ways y', which are secured to the 5o slotted upright g2, Fig. lt). The vertical reciprocating movement ot' the said rack is produced by the rotation ot the pinion t on the shaft 71', Figs. l, '2, S, and El, which is provided with a spur-wheel, /t`-, meshing with a second pinion, 1`,on the shat`t l", which extends across the rack and over the main shat't, or may be otherwise suitably arranged. (ln said shaft are arranged two t'ast pulleys, 2 i, which are connected with the loose pulleys c2 c by 6o belts, as dotted on Figs. `1 and i, a cross-belt connecting the pulleys c'2 and i2 and transmitting the motion of the driving-shattto the rack through the shat'ting and gearing above described, to cause a downward movement ot' said rack and the sliding paddle-tube and paddles connected therewith, and the straight belt connecting the pulleys ciz and 3, communieating the movement ot' the said driving-shaft through the same shat'ting and gearing to said rack, to cause the upward movement thereof' and the attached parts. 'lo transmit the motion ot the driving-shaft to said loose pulleys, a clutch of any approved construction may be used, that shown tor illustration consisting ot a sliding collar, j, moving on splines on the shalt.- and provided with pins, which enter openings in the hubs ot the pulleys, as shown in Fig. 1T.

In order that the operation of the raising and lowering mechanism may be automatic, the devices shown more particularly in Figs. il and l2 are employed to accomplish the desired end. Said devices consist ot' a lever, 1.', pivoted to an arm, projecting trom the standard l', one end, r, ot' said lever being bifurcated and slotted to engage with suitable pins on, the sliding clutch. the other end ot.' said lever being formed substantially as indicated in Fig. 17, having arms r'" placed at some distance apart. Between said arms moves a pin, tf", projecting' trom the back ot' the rack through a slot in the standard g2, as shown in Fig. ld, said pin striking each ot' said arms alternately at each cnd otl the reciprocating movmnent ot' the rack.

As indicated in Figs. l and 2, the rack has justcompleted its upward movement and the pin in striking' the arm .'2 disengages the clutch t'rom the pulley c and throws the same into engagement with the pulley c`-, which causes the rack to descend. \\hen the rack has reached its lowest, point, the pin strikes the lower arm, r", and changes the clutch from the pulley c2 back to the Apulley c, and the rack in consequencemoves upward. 'lhus it will be apparent that a repetition ot' these operations causes the automatic ascent and descent o'l the rack and its connecting parts.

Should it be necessary toallow the paddles to rotate t'or a considerable time at the bottom ot' the mash-tun, the clutch may be disengaged tromboth ot" theloose pulleysbymeans ot' the hand-lever nl, Fig. l, thus freeing the clutch from both ot said pulleys and preventing any movement olI the rack. ()n thcother hand, it' at any time it should be desirable to continue the revolution ot' the said paddles at any intermediatepoint between the extremes of' the movement ot' the rack, or above the surt'ace olf the mash in the ttul, I have provided a ratchet and detent, 'n n', Figs. Vll and 22, placed on the end ot the shat't i, or at. any suitable point, to lock the said shat't and hold the rack immovable. When thuslocked, the clutch is thrown away trom both pulleys ci c, as will be understood.

As thus constructed and operated the continuous revolution ot' themain shat't causes a constant rotary motion ot the paddles or agitator, and simultaneously therewith the same movement ot" the main shat't through the mechanism above described causes the raising and lowering ot said paddles. The advantage of this will be al'tparent t'rom the fact TIO that when the malted grain has been poured into the tun in sufficient quantity to cover the paddles it requires agreat deal of power to start the revolution thereof, owing to the resistance offered by the mass of grain; but by raising the paddles above the surface of the grain and starting them while thus elevated the full power can be applied at once, so that when the paddles begin to move down- -ward they may enter the grain at their full speed and power, and thus readily work their way downward until the lowest point is reached, when they return upward through the mash, vstirring and agitating the entire mass most effectively during the repeated upward and downward movements.

Then the malt has been thoroughly mashed and all of the worts extracted therefrom, the gate a4 is opened and the malt-dust is swept out of the tun through the opening er* by the same rotary movement of the fans or paddles which effects the extraction of the worts. In order to facilitate the expulsion of the maltdust from the tun,a series of said openings d'3 may be formed through the double bottom of said tun and arranged in a lspiral line around the centerthereof, as indicated by the dotted circles d, Fig. 3, so that as the fans revolve every part thereof passes over an opening during a single revolution of each of said fans. The effect of the openings is the same as if a slot were cut from the center to the periphery of the bottom of the tun, through which all of the malt-dust may be expelled. The advantage, however, of arranging the slots or openings at intervals is, that the bottom of the tun is not weakened thereby, and that the interior space between the bottoms not obstruct-ed as much as it would be if a continuous radial opening or `slot were employed.

tor more effective in mashing the grain, they are so set that they exert their greatest forceA upon the mash, being either cast internally with a plate, e, Figs. 1S to 2l, inclusive,which plate is suitably bolted to a hub, e', Fig. 1S, or said fans may be/ s0 constructed'as to be adjusted or set at any angle, as may be necessary, by means of a set-screw, e2, as indicated in Fig. li.

As shown on Sheet G, the fans are preferably angularly formed, so that they are more effective in stirring and mashing the grain. In Fig. 1G is illustrated a form of fan, e3, pro vided with openings or perforations therein, which act to loosen and separate the compressed. masses of grain which the solid fans, because of the pressure they exert, have a tendency to form.

In lieu of employing the power from the.

main shaft or using steam or otherniotive power,the rack may be raised and lowered by hand, a wheel or crank, p, Figs. l and 9,being attached to the shaft 'i' for that purpose.

As I am aware that several devices have been invented for raising and lowering the paddles out of and down within the tun, I do not lay broad claim to any mechanism for accomplishing' this end. In said devices,how ever, the mechanism for effecting this result is arranged within the mash-tun, and whenin operation is surrounded by the mash inthe tun, and hence is liable to clog up and become inoperative. This is avoided bymy construction and arrangement by elevating the lifting mechanism above the tun and connecting the same by the sliding tube, the periphery of which is smooth and readily moves through the grain.

' Having thus described my invention, I desire to claim the following:

l. In a mashing-machine, in combination, a mash-tun, a shaft arranged centrally and vertically therein, a driving-shaft provided with loose pulleys and a rotary sliding clutch thereon, gearing communicating the movement of said driving-shaft to the vertical shaft, a sliding tube moving and turning with said vertical shaft, rotating mash-agitators secured to and turning' with said sliding tube, a reciprocating rack connecting with andimparting its motion to said sliding tube, a counter-shaft provided with fast pulleys thereon, gearing communicating the motion of said counter-shaft to the rack, straight and cross belts connecting said loose and fast pulleys, and a pivoted lever, one arm of which is attached to said clutch, the other end of said lever being provided with arms k2 k3, between which the pin projecting from the sliding rack moves and with which it engages, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a mashing-machine, the combination of a mash-tun, an agitator and means for rotating the same, a tube to'which said agitator is attached on the actuating-shaft, and means .whereby it may slide thereon and. receive a rotary motion therefrom, a drivingshaft connected with said actuating-sliaft, a sliding rack arranged above and outside of the mash-tun and connected with the aforesaid driving shaft and tube, as described, means by which the drivinfhshaft causes the tube to reciprocate and rotate simultaneously, and means by which said rack and tube are held at various points of elevation, for the purposes set forth.

El. A mashing-tun provided with a series of openings, through which the malt-dust is ex IOO IIO

IIS

pelled, said openings being disposed spirally around the center of the tub, which, if ar-4 ranged in a straight radial line,would form a vcontinuous opening extending from the cen- GEORGE A. OHL.

Iitnessesz FREDK. F. CAMPBELL, J. L. BARTINE. 

